Committee Membership

Rebecca Flietstra (chair) – Associate Professor of Biology, Enedina Martinez (liaison) – Professor of Education, Phil Bowles – Professor of English, John Calhoun – Chair, Academic Affairs Committee, Board of Trustees , Joyce Falk – Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Doug Fruehling – Librarian; Assistant Professor, David Haney – Professor of Education; Director, Site Development, Inland Empire, Robert Joslin – Chief Information Officer, George Latter – Vice President for Financial Affairs and Kay Wilder – Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences; Chair, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Committee Charge

Group Three will reference WASC Standards One and Three and write a reflective essay following the guidelines found in the University’s Institutional Proposal.  This document states that evaluative benchmarks called Criteria for Review (CFR’s) will be reformatted into questions to be addressed demonstrating that PLNU meets the respective Standards.  In the Proposal, the University assures the WASC Senior Commission that “Subcommittees of faculty and staff will gather evidence and answer each question, citing any gaps in data collection or concerns that arise regarding institutional practice.  They will also make recommendations for improvement.

STANDARD ONE: Defining Institutional Purposes and Ensuring Educational Objectives

Assessment Tools (1.2)

Educational objectives are clearly recognized throughout the institution and are consistent with stated purposes. The institution has developed indicators and evidence to ascertain the level of achievement of its purposes and educational objectives.

Since the last WASC report, Point Loma Nazarene University has established an Assessment committee, led by Dr. Becky Havens (Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies), that documents and assesses educational objectives across campus. Accordingly, each department at Point Loma Nazarene University has put together and implemented an assessment plan; all departments report to the assessment committee. Most departments use a combination of assessment tools, most frequently in the form of a portfolio and/or exit exam. Most of these exit exams are established, nationwide tests, such as ETS tests, CPA exams, MFAT Political Science exam, and National Licensure Exam (nursing). Many departments also require student internships and incorporate supervisor evaluations into their assessment programs. Most of the music majors require a recital and/or reflective essay; similarly, the art department requires graduating seniors to pull together a show. General Psychology majors fill out, among other assessment tools, a personal growth survey. History and Social Sciences majors submit a “Key Books Report” in which they are asked to describe which assigned texts have been the most useful/influential in their learning process. Most departments have also initiated Alumni surveys. Point Loma Nazarene University has also established committees to assess general education and co-curricular objectives. For an overview see Appendix B of the WASC Institutional Proposal.

Academic Freedom (1.4)

The institution publicly states its commitment to academic freedom for faculty, staff, and students, and acts accordingly. This commitment affirms that those in the academy are free to share their convictions and responsible conclusions with their colleagues and students in their teaching and in their writing.

In a faculty survey administered in Spring 2005, most faculty (68.3%) agree or strongly agree that they “have the freedom to pursue my chosen field of scholarship even when it is potentially controversial.” Only 1.3% of faculty who responded to this question disagreed with this statement. Several years ago, a biology faculty member published a book that defended evolutionary theory. Although this book angered many of PLNU’s constituents, the administration and board strongly supported this professor. On the other hand, some departments have reported some self-censorship in anticipation of potential problems. The art department, for example, has vetoed displays that referenced homosexuality. Even so, the vast majority of faculty at PLNU feel that academic freedom is strongly supported at PLNU. That being said, most faculty were unaware of PLNU’s formal policy on academic freedom (found in the Academic Freedom section of the Faculty Handbook), and others were not sure that the outlined policy would be adequate if academic freedom actually was threatened at PLNU. The committee thus recommends a campus-wide discussion of academic freedom that would increase awareness of official policy and its application. One result of such a discussion might be a clearer statement in the faculty handbook.

University Autonomy (1.6)

Even when supported by or affiliated with political, corporate, or religious organizations, the institution has education as its primary purpose and operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.

All church-related universities feel a tension between the desired spiritual instruction and training of students and the goal of higher education as a full examination of issues and positions, including those not embraced by the majority culture of the church. This balance depends on, in part, the presence of a board of trustees that both guards the university’s ties to the denomination and yet allows some autonomy to the administration and faculty. Currently, with two exceptions, all board members must be members of the Church of the Nazarene, and they are elected to their positions by their local churches. This process automatically excludes about two-thirds of the university’s alumni (since they are not Nazarene), and also makes it unlikely that an alumnus or alumna living outside local districts would be elected to the board. These limits have become a source of concern to the alumni board, to faculty, to administrators, and to trustees. It is recommended that the board could include for these other membership categories, even if it involves a non-voting trustee position.

As the board re-examines the university bylaws, institutes a book of policies, and forges ahead with a program of trustee development, it will be interesting to see what new talent is recruited for trustee membership and what new initiatives it may enact as it develops its own sense of vision for the future of the university. A positive example of policy work on the part of the board and associated administrative work on the part of the president is the new Institute for Pastoral Leadership. The board mandated that the university reach out to the denominational church in new ways, and the administration responded with the establishment of this new initiative.  The committee recommends more formal inclusion of the School of Theology in any future outreach to the denominational church.

In the early days of the university, it depended on the church for its very existence, and thus maintenance of autonomy could, at times, be tricky. Today we have entered a period of mutual benefit in which the university has matured and thus may itself influence the church in significant ways. A congenial relationship has been cultivated between the president and the board of trustees and between the trustees and the faculty. A number of social events have been offered to bring faculty and trustees together, including dinner, a late afternoon reception, and a question-and-answer session that includes testimonials from faculty involved in model projects. The committee recommends that the university provide more opportunities for the trustees to meet the faculty on a personal level, and to understand their pedagogical approaches and scholarly work.

STANDARD THREE: Developing and Applying Resources and Organizational Structures to Ensure Sustainability

Faculty and Staff Commitment and Qualifications (3.2)

The institution demonstrates that it employs a faculty with substantial and continuing commitment to the institution sufficient in number, professional qualifications, and diversity to achieve its educational objectives, to establish and oversee academic policies, and to ensure the integrity and continuity of its academic programs wherever and however delivered.

Faculty commitment to the institution can be indirectly measured by the length of service at Point Loma Nazarene University, number of faculty with tenure, and full-time vs. part-time faculty. Currently, the mean length of service at PLNU is eight years. By eight years, most faculty members will have qualified for tenure and will either be full professors or within one-two years of promotion. PLNU’s WASC report of 1996 noted that most faculty were uncertain and unclear about the promotion and tenure process. Since then, the university has further standardized these processes, and has offered several informational sessions for interested faculty. As a result, most younger faculty apply for promotion and tenure as a matter of course, and many longer-term faculty who had previously found this process to be “too much trouble” have now received tenure. In 2002-03, 75% of the undergraduate departments had at least 70% of their faculty serving full-time contracts (Key Performance Indicators). Within five years, the university hopes to have all undergraduate departments with at least 70% of faculty serving full-time contracts. At the same time, many part-time faculty have taught at the university for several years. As recommended in the 1996 WASC report, a handbook has been produced for part-time faculty. In Fall 2005 the university held an orientation for adjuncts hired during the 2004-05 academic year and later. In addition, a much expanded Adjunct Faculty Handbook was written and distributed to all adjunct faculty, as well as to each department.

Although the younger faculty continues to be well qualified and typically want to stay teaching at Point Loma Nazarene University, financial considerations have made it tougher to recruit and retain new faculty members. Those who do stay often make great financial sacrifices in order to remain in the San Diego area. The university does assist faculty in buying their first home through a co-investment program. While this program has been very helpful, it involves other financial constraints for faculty members. Since it does not appear that housing prices and other expenses in San Diego will be decreasing anytime soon, the university must continue to seek creative solutions to recruit and retain faculty members.

Point Loma Nazarene University has continued to recruit a strong faculty who are well qualified to pursue both teaching and scholarship. In 2005-06, 79% of full-time faculty held terminal degrees in their field (Key Performance Indicators). Still, as is true at many institutions, some of the faculty begin teaching before they have finished with their dissertation. Since 1992, the university has sponsored an “ABD club” to help keep these faculty members on track as they attempt to teach full time and still complete their research and writing. Even faculty who have completed their degree sometimes find it difficult to pursue research and other forms of scholarship. To this end, the university offers several programs to promote professional and pedagogical development, including seminars and discussion groups. PLNU also maintains professional development funds for each faculty member (see the Professional Growth section of the Faculty Handbook). The Center for Teaching and Learning has sponsored several programs that help faculty learn, observe, and discuss new pedagogical techniques. Each faculty member is also required to administer student evaluations in 3 courses each year. Faculty also must regularly have their teaching evaluated by a peer (see the Faculty Evaluation section of the Faculty Handbook). Unfortunately, much of the scholarship pursued by PLNU faculty remains “hidden.” Faculty members do not report their accomplishments to a central person or department. It is recommended that a central site, possibly a website, be established to keep track of faculty accomplishments, including grants, papers published, and talks presented.

Information Resources (3.6)

The institution holds, or provides access to, information resources sufficient in scope, quality, currency, and kind to support its academic offerings and the scholarship of its members. For on-campus students and students enrolled at a distance, physical and information resources, services, and information technology facilities are sufficient in scope and kind to support and maintain the level and kind of education offered. These resources, services and facilities are consistent with the institution’s purposes, and are appropriate, sufficient, and sustainable.

New program proposals on the main campus must address the additional information resources needed to support these programs. This assessment must occur before the program can be approved by the Academic Policy Committee (APC). When existing programs are extended to new locations, however, this procedure is not followed. A system is needed to alert Learning Services when new sites for existing programs are scheduled to begin. The library faculty and staff regularly travel to Arcadia, Bakersfield, Mission Valley, and district teaching sites to discuss library resources and student needs. As off campus sites have proliferated, the library could use at least one additional professional to assist with all these additional sites.

PHINEAS, Ryan Library’s catalogue, is accessible via Internet to all students and faculty at any location. In order to get books, students and faculty at other locations must either visit Ryan Library or request that library books be sent to them. For Mission Valley, this delivery can take one or two days; outside San Diego generally takes longer. All electronic databases are available to faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate). Ryan Library subscribes to NetLibrary (e-book collection) to which all students have access. Students and faculty also have InterLibrary Loan service via ILLiad and Link+. These services are relatively accessible for all students, except those in Bakersfield, as there are no Link+ member libraries in their area.  (For details see the Ryan Library webpage.)

Collection development at Ryan Library is a cooperative process involving both library and academic department faculty. Academic faculty can contact their respective department liaison librarian with purchase suggestions. Although the library offers an extensive electronic database, academic and library faculty still need a second large aggregate database for electronic journal access. The committee recommends funding for this endeavor. Faculty also recommended, via the narrative responses in the Spring 2005 survey, that the library building be renovated, the addition of more specialized resources such as digitized music listening library and discipline-specific electronic journals, and the building of on-site library collections at Mission Valley and Arcadia. The committee recommends that the university investigate the costs associated with a complete renovation of the building that houses Ryan Library. The committee further recommends that the library develop resources that address the specific needs of different disciplines and departments.

Library faculty and staff meet with all Freshman Composition classes for two class periods. These sessions focus on research methods, the library’s print and electronic resources, remote access issues, and evaluating credible web sources. A number of other classes also meet with a librarian for discipline-specific research instruction. Ryan Library plans to improve its support of bibliographic instruction for PLNU students off the main campus by designing a system that offers supplemental instructional information. The library also plans to administer general knowledge surveys to incoming students and graduating students to assess whether the library services help produce more information-literate students.

Information Technology Resources (3.7)

The institution’s information technology resources are sufficiently coordinated and supported to fulfill its educational purposes and to provide key academic and administrative functions.

Perhaps no area of the University has undergone as many improvements in the past ten years as information technology resources.  New developments in technology have produced improved processes in order to integrate this investment into the changing environment of teaching and learning.  The University supports the use of technology to assist in fulfilling its educational purposes through computer labs, technological improvements in the classroom, residence hall networking, and both academic and administrative services and training.

There are nine computer labs (Macintosh and PC work stations) on the Point Loma main campus that are available both for formal instruction and for independent student work.  The Arcadia and Mission Valley campuses each have a computer lab with both Macintosh and PC work stations.  In Bakersfield, students have access to a nearby lab.

All classrooms have network connections.  Point Loma, Mission Valley, Arcadia, and Bakersfield also have both wired and wireless network connectivity throughout the facilities.  All classrooms on the main Point Loma campus also have access to the University-owned and operated closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, and all have permanent monitors installed.  In addition to the PLNU Information Channel, PLNU manages its own cable television channel over which educational and /or student-driven content can be presented.  Some classrooms and labs have Smart Boards, Smart Sympodiums, document cameras, High Definition LCD and Plasma screens, audio equipment, and Internet Protocol cameras with recording capabilities.  In residence halls, all rooms are connected to the campus network. (For details see Table 5.1 in the University Data Tables.)

Ninety-nine percent of full-time faculty members have laptops and some adjuncts as well.  Most adjuncts have access to shared desktops.  The University has installed a wireless grid at all Point Loma facilities for both student and staff/faculty use.  All faculty members have access to Blackboard, an on-line Course Management System.  In order to sustain support for faculty, a Director of Academic Computing serves in assisting faculty with computing needs.  In the fall of 2005, the department of Information Technology Services (ITS) completed a document entitled “Model for Supporting the Technology Needs of Faculty and Students in a Multi-Site Environment.” In the spring of 2006, the ITS department hired an Instructional Technologist to work with the director in making recommendations to faculty related to methods of using technology for enhancing teaching and learning as well as promoting technological literacy.

Specific training in the use of technology is also an important concern for the University.  The Center for Teaching and Learning provides some training for using computer technology, and ITS has an extensive menu of year-round computer classes for faculty and staff.  ITS employs a Technology Training Coordinator, and this person makes periodic visits to the other campuses for training customized to meet their needs.  Element K is available upon request to all faculty and staff for access to e-learning courses in a wide variety of applications.

Organizational Structures and Governance (3.8)

The institution’s organizational structures and decision-making processes are clear, consistent with its purposes, and sufficient to support effective decision making.

The University has a clearly defined and illustrated organization administrative structure. The line of responsibility begins with the Board of Trustees, followed in descending order by the President and Provost /Vice Presidents. The Foundation Board reports to the Board of Trustees, and with two-way reporting/communication of the Foundation Board to the President, Vice President of Financial Affairs and Vice President of University Advancement. (see the Governance section of the Faculty Handbook.) This organizational structure has grown and changed over the past 100 years, but might not support the changing needs of PLNU, particularly at the graduate level. Additionally, faculty are concerned that the interactions between Student Development, Spiritual Development and Academics primarily occur at the cabinet level. Faculty desire a greater opportunity to provide feedback to Student Development and Spiritual Development. The committee also recommends that, due to growing enrollment at the university, the Administrative Cabinet needs broader academic representation.

The University’s governance/decision making process is consistent with and functions in accordance to the organizational structure. Committees and task force groups bring issues, concerns and policies to the forefront. Membership to committees is assigned by the Nominating Committee and task force groups are developed by the members of the Administrative Cabinet. Decision making is generally made on three levels, 1) Administrative Cabinet, 2) Vice Provost Council, 3) Academic Council (composed of vice provosts, department chairs, school deans, and site directors), and 4) faculty. (see the University Committees section of the Faculty Handbook for further details.)  The development of graduate programs at the university has raised some governance concerns. The current decision-making process for graduate level programs tends to have a slow response time and is very laborious. Also, since faculty meetings and committee meetings do not occur over the summer, decisions concerning academic issues cannot be addressed very well at that time. This places most graduate programs at a disadvantage since they meet year-round. Graduate faculty at other campus sites also are not well-represented on university committees and task force groups. The committee recommends that teleconferencing be employed to allow these other faculty to participate more fully in the decision making process.

Recommendations

1. For standard 1.4a: A campus-wide discussion on academic freedom which may result in a clearer statement in the faculty handbook.
2. For standard 1.6a: Continue to study the composition of the Board of Trustees.
3. For standard 1.6b: Formal inclusion of the School of Theology in any future outreach to the denominational church.
4. For standard 1.6c: Increased opportunities for the trustees to meet the faculty on a personal level, and to understand the faculty’s pedagogical approaches and scholarly work.
5. For standard 3.2a: Continued development of creative solutions to recruit and retain faculty members in light of the high cost of living in the San Diego area.
6. For standard 3.6a: The addition of another librarian to assist with the library needs of off-campus sites.
7. For standard 3.6b: Further development of library resources that address the specific needs of different disciplines and departments. This may include a digitized music listening library, discipline-specific electronic journals, an on-site library collections at Mission Valley and Arcadia.
8. For standard 3.8a: Expanded interaction and input of faculty with Student Development and Spiritual Development.
9. For standard 3.8b: Broader academic representation on the Administrative Cabinet.
10. For standard 3.8c: Increased use of teleconferencing to allow faculty at other campus sites to become involved in university committees and task force groups.